tstwfandomcom-20200213-history
Retribution
| }} Joshua Mitchell, alias Retribution, is a veteran member of the Children of Equality, and currently acts as their leader. Description Joshua was once a rugged human man at the peak of physical fitness, but has since become a deformed, inhuman monstrosity. His lower jaw has been replaced with a metallic prosthetic, and his throat is encased in a thick metallic sheath that clearly attaches to his neck vertebrae, shoulder blades and sternum. His eyes, once a warm brown, are a blind milky white which gleams under ocular implants. His face is pallid and covered in burn scars; he has no hair, and is missing his right ear. As Retribution he wears a heavy black suit of Kevlar body armor, augmented in places by lightweight plating made of boron carbide. The knuckles of his gauntlets are studded, and his multi-layered black cape is both flame retardant and voluminous enough for him to wrap himself entirely in. History Joshua Mitchell is the only son of Geoffrey Mitchell, the last commissioner of the ill-fated American SuperHuman Authority. Geoffrey's mismanagement of ASA operative Myster E brought about the beginning of the Coalition of Corruption; his subsequent attempt to rectify the situation put Mentor on the path that would lead him to found the League of Salvation. As such, Joshua grew up much closer to the heart of modern SuperHuman conflict than most. When President Nixon shut down the ASA, Geoffrey was dismissed in disgrace. He turned to drinking for much of Joshua's childhood, a period which greatly influenced Joshua's stance on SuperHumans. He came to hate the Coalition from an early age, and became increasingly disillusioned with SuperHeroes as well – it was their inefficiency that allowed the Coalition to flourish. His drive to fix the SuperHuman problem led him to join the secret society of the Children of Equality at the age of 19, while also pursuing a career in the US Department of SuperHuman Affairs. His keen understanding of SuperHuman motivation allowed him to excel in both organizations, quickly rising to prominent positions in both. In 1995, Joshua was made vaguely aware of a pact between the US Government and the Coalition to annihilate the Children. He made arrangements to quietly amass Children resources in backwater settlements in Central America, warning a small portion of the Children of the impending genocide. He and his affiliates went underground with no time to spare - government tactical teams, with Coalition support, tracked down and eliminated every member of the Children they could find, all but disbanding the organization. Only Joshua's cell survived the slaughter. In memoriam of his fallen comrades, Joshua styled himself Retribution, determined to see justice served upon the Coalition and those who failed to stop them. Having lost faith in the US Government's ability to rectify the situation, Retribution used his access to government resources to slowly rebuild the Children from the ground up. He used his influence to cover explicit evidence of the Children's activities, as well as to petition for several programs which would have aided the Children's cause. To Save the World! This character did not appear in To Save the World! The Intervening Years The World in Your Hands Personality Retribution believes that all SuperHumans are guilty of crimes against humanity – either they have used their powers for evil or have not used their powers to lethally stop those who do use their powers for evil. He has seen enough death and destruction at the hands of SuperHumans that he has no sympathy toward them, nor much tolerance of any who would defend them. He is ambivalent to the general public - so long as they stay out of his way, he has no quarrel with them. In fact, what he does is for them; Retribution perceives himself as a necessary evil, and truly believes that what he does is for the good of humanity. He doesn’t care if people call him a terrorist or a monster, it just proves that they’re smallminded and makes him feel more important for being the only one to see “reason.” While he is fiercely proud of the Children, he is pragmatic enough to understand that his goals cannot be met without loss. He will happily send Children to their deaths if he believes it will further the greater good. For their part, the Children idolize him as the embodiment of their cause, viewing him as both a stern commander and a visionary. Powers, Abilities, and Equipment As a consequence of having survived the destruction of the Ausgleichstor at point blank range, Retribution's body has become highly irradiated with Sigma Radiation. Whether or not this triggered a latent Delta Chromosome is unclear, but since the accident all superpowers now peter out within a foot of his body and dissipate. It is impossible to touch him with anything generated by a SuperHuman - things like flames and energy bolts will evaporate before they come into contact with him. It is still possible to hit him indirectly; for example, something thrown by telekinesis will strike him, as its existing trajectory will be unaffected by his nullifying field. Additionally, he is capable of nullifying the powers of any SuperHuman he touches, for as long as he is in physical contact with them. ---- Joshua received extensive combat training upon joining the Children; he is proficient in both hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship. He is a skilled orator, and has a degree in political science. ---- The explosion caused by the destruction of the Ausgleichstor disfigured and impaired Retribution; extensive cybernetic implants were required just to allow him to function again as a normal human being. Much of his lower jaw was removed and replaced by a titanium prosthetic. His throat is encased in a vocal regulator, replacing his damaged vocal cords and giving his voice a deepened, robotic twang. This regulator also functions as a respirator, with a half-face mask capable of extending out from under his chin to cover his nose and mouth. Retribution is now only able to see with the aid of ocular implants; these provide him with a range of sight which extends beyond the usual visual spectrum, filtering and displaying both infrared and ultraviolet light. They also provide a basic HUD, with targeting systems and facial recognition programming. Audio implants replace his blown eardrums and enable him to hear again; they also filter out white noise and are capable of syncing with his vocal regulator to act as a built-in coms system. In his past exploits Retribution was rarely without some form of machine gun or semi-automatic rifle. He now favors a custom-made blaster rifle capable of alternating between physical bullets and scorching energy bolts.